Mechanical pencil



g- 22, 9- l-LMAUCHER 2,170,761

MECHANICAL PENCIL Filed Jan. 7, 1959 IINVENTOR.

15521 5 Mac ATTORNEY.

PatentedAug. 22,1 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MECHANICAL rsncn.

Hans. Maucher, New YorkfN. Y., asslgnortto Norma 'Multikolor, Inc., NewYork, N. Y.,, a

corporation of NewYork Application January, 7, 1939,Serial No. M9 681 6Claims. -(c1. rat-14) lates is amulti-color lead pencil having a ,plu-

rality oflead carrying and lead propelling members which are arranged tobe Selectively pro- Jected into operative position. Heretofore suchpencils have=been quite complicated, having a multiplicity of springs,housings and other constructional features which haveadded to the costof such pencils. Theqpresentinvention contemplates the provision ofapencil having the minimum of parts necessary for such a pencil, andwhich is comparativelysimplein construction. Such a pencil costs less tomanufacture because of thefewerparts, and is less likely to get out ofrepair;

It has beenacommon fault of suchpencils in it the past that the leadcarriers which are not separated fromeach otherrub against each other aand occasionally are bent, or jammedtogether when a specific,carrierisadvanced or retracted from its operative position. Inthemoresevere instances of such jamming or bending of the carrier, thepencil has been ruinedland in less .30 severe instances thepenci11partshave worn out quite rapidly. Because of this and because as heretoforestated, there are a great many parts to such pencils, these pencils havenot been durable, resulting in frequent repair. as, The presentinvention, therefore, contemplates the provision of means whereby thelead carriers are maintained separate from each other so that they willnot jam and so that the pencil will have smooth, frictionlessoperationwith longer'dura- 40 bility and lessneed for repair. Thepresent inventionfurther contemplates the provision of means wherebyeach lead carrier is guided during the course of its movement so that itwill operate smoothly and not catch on otherportions 45 of the pencil.

Heretofore, the assembly of such type of. pen-- oil has beencomparatively complex, demanding a degree of skill comparable to thatrequired of a watchmaker. The problem of maintaining a 50 number ofelements, comprising a springer springs, a plurality of lead holders andassociated parts, in their relative assembled positions prior to lockingsuch members in, assembly, is one that requires a considerable degree ofskill, time and 55 comparatively costly effort.

The presentinvention, therefore, contemplates I the provision of apencil which is easy to assemble and results in a substantial saving inthe cost of labor used in assembling such pencil.

Conversely, a pencil such as is contemplated 5 I by the presentinvention would be easy to disassemble and consequently readilyrepaired.

It hasbeen characteristic in the past of pencils of the generalcharacter described that they have not been positive in operation. Forexample,

such lead carriers have not been locked positively ininoperativeposition. They have usually been held in inoperative positionby springs or.by a

slight frictional'engagement. Thus, it has often occurred that the leadcarrier which is supposed 15 to be .in inoperative position moves out ofthat position to an extent suflicient to cause the pencil to jam or anadjacent lead carrier to be bent or for friction to develop between suchlead carrier and other working parts of the pencil with 20 consequentdamage to the pencil. The present invention contemplates overcoming suchdisadvantages by making the selective operation of the lead carrierspositive in operation.

Other features and advantages of the present 25 invention will beapparent from the following description in conjunctionwith the drawing,in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of an embodiment of the present invention,partly in section.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the longitudinal partition member of saidpencil.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the lead carrier.

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the pencil along line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modification of thepartition member.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a modification of the lead carrierillustrated in Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a modification of the casing, adapted toaccommodate the lead carrier illustrated in Fig. 6.

Referring to the embodiment illustrated in Figures lto 5, the pencil ofthe present invention has an outer casing l0.which may be made of sheetmetal and which has a conical point l2 formed at one end thereof.

As the present pencil is designed to have several lead 'carriers,longitudinal slots l4 equal in number to the number of lead carriers, inthe present instance,-three, are provided in the casing. A shortdistance from each end of the longitudinal slot 14 are formed lateralrecesses, a lower lateral recess l6 nearer the point of the pencil andan upper lateral recess l8 toward the upper end of vanced from itsinoperative to its operative posipartition member 20 in this tion. Thepurposes of these recesses will be explained hereinafter.

In order to separate the lead carriers from each other within the casingand to provide beds upon which each carrier can move and by which it isguided, a longitudinal partition member 20 forming as many compartments2| as there are lead carriers and an equal number of beds is provided.The present embodiment has three compartments and three beds asillustrated in Fig. 4. A modification of said partition member is shownin Figure 5 having four compartments therein. The partition member 28 islonger than the longitudinal slot I4 and substantially shorter than thelength of the outer casing l8. Near the bottom 22 of the longitudinalpartition member 20, a

tapered portion 23' is formed so that the longitudinal partition membermay be inserted a short distance into the conical point II. The walls ofthe longitudinal partition member are equal to each other in width,height and general contour,

and equal angles are formed thereinbetween. In the longitudinal membershown in Figure 4, angles are formed between each of the walls whichform three beds and in the longitudinal partition member shown in Figure5 the angles between the walls of this member are 90 each which formfour beds.

In assembling the pencil, the longitudinal partition member 28 is firstinserted deeply into .the pencilso that the tapered portion 23 of thepartition member projects a short distance into the conical point ll ofthe casing. The longitudinal position does not interfere with theinsertion of the lead carriers which is the next operation. The leadcarriers are inserted one at a time. I While they may difier, it ispreferred that all the lead carriers in one pencil be similar inconstruction. Therefore, only one will be described.

This lead carrier, referred toas a unit by the numeral 26, has insertedtherein through the bottom thereof an ordinary lead 28. These leads maydiffer in color or degree of hardness or other characteristics in eachseparate carrier. The lead 28 may be propelled forward in the lead car--rier to writing position by turning a knurled grip 30 which projectsbeyond the end 32 of .the

conical point l2 of the casing. The mechanism for propelling the leadwithin the lead carrier is no part of the present invention and,therefore, will not be described Various types of propelling mechanismwhich might be used with the present invention are well known to thoseversed in the pencil art and will, therefore, not be described.

Reference also is made to Patent No. 2,067,455 issued to the presentinventor, which shows a propelling mechanism which might be used topropel the leads in the hereindescribed lead carrier.

A long, narrow tube 36 is disposed above the lead propelling mechanismand secured to it. The lower portion 38 of saidtube is affixed to thelead advancing mechanism and is secured thereto by any desired means,such as by frictional engagement, soldering, etc.

The lead carrier 26 is designed to slide along and be guided in itsmovement by the bed 40 formed by the Walls of the longitudinal partitionmember 20. To maintain the lead carrier against the bed, it is preferredto provide thereon a tension member, aportion of which presses againstlead carrier to maintain the inside of the casing l8, so that it holdsthe lead carrier against the bed at all times.

The tension member may be secured to the lead carrier in any desiredmanner. As illustrated in Fig. 3, a. short flat metal tab 42 may beinserted into the open end 46 of the tubular member 36. The tab 42 maybe secured in place by flattening the upper portion 39 of the tubularmember 36 so that the flattened walls thereof frictionally engage thetab. A rivet 43may be used to secure the tab to the tension member. Itis to be understood that there are numerous other ways of securing thetension member to the lead carrier member which will readily occur toany skilled mechanic. It is also apparent-that it is not necessary thatthe tension member be aflixed to the said carrier against the bed 40 ofthe longitudinal member. For example, it may be affixed to the casing,or it may lie loosely between the carrier and the casing.

The tension member may be formed of an arcuate leaf spring 48, one endof which is attached by rivet 43 to the tab 42. The opposite end 50rests against the flattened portion 39 of the tubular member 38 andslides downward thereon when the arcuate spring 48 is flattened.

In the center of the arcuate spring 48, a longitudinal knob 54 isprovided which is sufficiently narrow to bereadily reciprocated withinthe slot M of the casing l8. Adjacent the center of the knob 54 is anoffset portion 56 which is sufficiently small to enter the lateralrecesses 6 and I8 formed in the longitudinal slot l4. The knob 54 andits offset portion 58 are secured to the spring in any manner desiredand'as there are a great many well known ways of securing same, it willnot be described here. The arcuate spring 48 is wider than the longitdinal slots so that it will not enter the same, but instead will pressagainst the inside of the casing adjacent the longitudinal slot. I

While the upper portion 38 of the tubular member 38 has been describedas a flattened tube, it is to be understood that this portion may be sodistorted as to conform in cross-section to the cross-section of the bed48 in order that it may fit snugly against the bed and be restrainedthereby from lateral movement. In order to conform to the triangularcontour of the bed 40 as shown in this embodiment, the tubular membermay be formed so as to be triangular in crosssection. It is also to beunderstood that the contour of the beds may be varied also. Thecross-sectional contour of the entire lead carrier may be made toconform to that of the bed which serves as a guide on which the leadcarrier slides.

As statedhereinbefore,thelongitudinal partition member 20 is insertedall the way into the casing l0 so that it will not interfere with theinsertion of the lead carriers into said pencil. Next a lead carrier isinserted into one of the compartments formed by the longitudinalpartition member. This is done by flattening the arcuate spring 48 sothat the knob 54 and the offset portion 56 will pass underneath the wallof the outer casing l0 while the remainder of the lead carrier urged bythe action of the arcuate spring 48 operating against the interior ofthe casing I0 adjacent the longitudinal slots rides along the bed 48formed by the junction of two sides of the longitudinal compartmentmember. As the knob 54 of the lead carrier reaches the longitudinal slotl4, it is pushed upward into said slot by the action of the arcuatespring 48 which tries to reassume its normal curvature and the ofisetportion'56 enters the upper lateral recess l8, thus locking the leadcarrier positively in its inoperative position;

In similar fashion, the otherleadcarriers are then inserted.@Ahook'is-then inserted into the pencil which catches the end 22 of thelQ l itudinal partition member 20 and said member is; drawn upwarduntilit reaches the desired level.

Itis then secured to the casingnby any desired .means so that it willnot .thereafter. slide out of position. It is preferredthat thelongitudinal compartment member be drawn upward tosuch position that itextends an equal distance longi-' tudinally on both. sides. of. thelongitudinal slot 14. In this position, it forms a balancedbed on whichthe portionof the lead .carrier opposite thev arcuate spring 48 rests;Thus, the pressure of the. arcuate spring 48 forcing the knob 54upward'is constant throughout the normal range of movement of the knobin the slot. The arcuate spring- 48 maintains the lead carrying memberin its bed by its pressure against the inside of the casing. i

To operate this pencil after the pencil has been assembled, the knob 54of the lead carrier which holds the type of lead desired to be used isdepressed so that the ofiset portion 56 of theknob 54 extends below theedge of the lateral recess IS. The knob 54 is then urged downward towardthe point of the pencil until it is stopped by the edge 60 at the lowerend of the longitudinal slot l4.

Thus the end of the lead carrier is pushed out.

past the edge 32 of the conical point I! of the pencil. The knob 54 isreleased as it reaches the lower end 50 of the slot whereupon the ofisetportion 56 of the knob 54 enters the lower recess I6 urged by the spring418, thus locking the lead carrier selected in operative position. Whenthe selected lead carrier is no longer desired, the knob 54 is againdepressed, thus removing the offset portion 56 out of the lateral recessl6 andthe lead frictionally retained closure. cap 56 may be,"pro-,

vided at the top thereof. The usual clip 68 may be attached also. i

Having already described in detail a specific embodiment of the presentinvention, reference is now made to Figures 6 and '7 illustratingamodification thereof. The modified structure is similar to theabove-described structure in all particulars except those hereinafterdescribed.

The long tube ll) of thelead carrier illustrated in Figure 6 isflattened except at its upper end 12 where it is distorted so that it istriangular in cross-section. This portion I2, therefore, fits snuglyinto the bed 40 and serves as a guide for the lead carrier in itsmovement. One end 14 of a fiat leaf spring I6 is bent back upon thespring to form a U as shown in Figure 6 and is inserted into the top 18of the tube 10 and may be held there by frictional engagement.soldering, etc. The spring 16 is spaced from the tube 10 and when notunder tension extends 'away therefrom forming an angle therewith. Theend of the spring 16 opposite the end "is bent atsubstantialiy rightangles to the spring in a direction away from the tube I0, therebyforming a flange 80. 82 so that the longitudinal shape of the outeredgeof the flange conforms to the curved shape-of the casing of the pencil.If the casing were flat or readily reciprocated'therein.

' her and a knob on the spring extending through The flange 80 may becurved at its outer edge diagonal, this edge 82 wouldsimilarly beshaped.

A knob 84 is mounted on the spring a short distancefrom the flange 8D.The knob 84 isnarrowerrthan the longitudinal slot 86 in the casing 88illustrated in Figure 7 so that the knob can be Unlike the slot 14 inthe casing i0 shown in the' embodiment of Figure l, the slot 86 in thecasing 88 of the embodiment of Fig? does not have two spaced lateralrecesses. Instead, i a pair of lateral recesses 90 facing eachotheracross the longitudinal slot 86 Y maybe provided a short distance fromthe top 921of-the longitudinal by the lower end 94 of the longitudinalslot 86.

A short distance below the end 94 of the slot 86 is a narrow transverseslot 96 sufllciently large to accommodate the flange 80. After the knob84 reaches the end 94 of the slot 86 and is released,.the spring 16urges the flange 50 into the transverse slot '96, thereby locking thelead carrier in place in its operative position.

Fromthe foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided apencil of the character described which is extremely simple in construc--tion, has few parts, is smooth and frictionless in operation, that iseasily. assembled and easily repaired and that is positive in operation,as well as being economical to manufacture. 4

, Furthermore, it is obvious that it is easy to repair this pencil foreach lead carrier member may be removed without disturbing any of theother carrier members.

While I have described in detail specific embodiments, Iwish to claimthis invention as broadly as the scope of the appended claims and thestate of the prior art allow, for obvious modifications of the specificstructure will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim: e e

1. In a multi-lead penclLa casing having a plurality of slots arrangedtherein, a longitudinal partition member arranged in the casing andhavingwalls forming a plurality of compartments, a lead carrying memberarranged in each .compartment, a spring on each lead carrying mem-.

one of the longitudinal slots, each spring urging the lead carrieragainst the walls of the com-. partment in which it is arranged.

2. In a multi-lead pencil, a casing, a longitudinai partition memberarranged in the casing and having walls forming a plurality of beds, aplurality of lead carryingmembers movably arranged on said beds andseparated from each other by the longitudinal partition member and aspring on each lead carrying member urging said lead carrier against thebed on which it is arranged.

3. In a mechanical pencil having a casing with a plurality oflongitudinal slots therein. each of said longitudinal slots havingextending therefrom a plurality of lateral recesses, the combination ofa longitudinal partition member having a plurality of beds therein, witha plurality of lead carrying members arranged to move on said beds, eachof said lead carrying members having arranged thereon a tension member,a knob and a locking member, both arranged on said tension member, theknob being urged into the longitudinal slot and the locking member beingurged into a lateral recess by the tensionmember to lock the leadcarrying member in eitherbper andsnugly fitting therein and a spring oneach lead carrying member urging said lead carrier against the bed onwhich it is arranged.

5. In a mechanical pencil, the combination of a casing having aplurality of longitudinal slots therein, each of said longitudinal slotshaving extending therefrom a plurality of spaced lateral recesses, witha plurality of lead carrying members, each of said lead carrying membershaving arranged thereon a tension member, a knob and an oifset portionadjacent the knob, both arranged'on said tension member, the knob being,urged into th'e longitudinal slot and the offset portion beingurgedinto a lateral recess by the tension member to lock the lead carryingmemher in either operative or inoperative position.

v 6. In a mechanical pencil, the combination of a casing having aplurality of longitudinal slots therein, each of said longitudinal slotshaving extending therefrom a pair of recesses and a transverse slotadjacent one end of each of said longitudinal slots, with a plurality oflead carrying members, each of said lead carrying members havingarranged thereon a tension member having a portion thereof formed into alocking member, a knob arranged on said tension member, the lockingmember being urged into the recesses or into the transverse slot to locksaid lead carrier in operative or inoperative position.

HANS MAUCHER.

